Avec E’nergys, le logisticien de référence du Grand Est HERBRICH accélère dans la sobriété énergétique de ses entrepôts ! #2
Benfeld, January 8, 2024 – Founded in 1895, the HERBRICH Group, strategically located in the heart of Alsace, serves a diverse customer base including renowned brands like Cuisines Schmidt and Tryba. Today, it aspires to establish itself as a key player in Eastern France’s supply chain, offering comprehensive solutions from customized logistics services to transport operations. With €16.4 million in revenue and a team of 120 employees, HERBRICH operates across three core sectors: freight forwarding, bulk handling, and logistics, the latter generating €5.6 million in revenue. Deeply aligned with current trends, the HERBRICH Group is focused on accelerating the decarbonization of its operations, from reducing the carbon footprint of its deliveries to minimizing the energy consumption of its warehouses. As Antoine Herbrich, representing the fifth generation at the head of the family business, tells us: “Each new generation must adapt to the demands and challenges of its time.” In response to the urgency of climate change and the carbon impact of our activities, particularly in transport, we must deploy the most effective strategies to achieve optimal decarbonization. After acquiring our first electric vehicle, we are now focused on optimizing the energy efficiency of our warehouses. With the support of E’nergys, we are integrating advanced BMS and lighting solutions to achieve this goal.In addition to complying with the requirements of the Tertiary Sector and BACS decrees, this energy efficiency project for warehouse lighting is expected to guarantee the HERBRICH Group energy savings of between 70,000 and 80,000 euros a year!
As new regulations come into effect, lighting is driving energy performance!
Driven by the new requirements of the Tertiary Sector and BACS decrees, the HERBRICH Group planned to renovate all its outdated and faulty warehouse lighting in 2022, amid skyrocketing energy costs. It first consulted its electricity provider, who was unable to handle all its energy-saving, comfort-enhancing, and regulatory-compliance needs. On the other hand, E’nergys, a specialist in energy efficiency, stood out with its comprehensive smart lighting and heating management solution through a Building Management System (BMS), perfectly aligned with the HERBRICH Group’s goals for performance, savings, and decarbonization!
Selected in January 2022, E’nergys carried out an audit on the HERBRICH Group’s warehouses’ main energy consumption and bill: lighting. In March 2022, it outlined its key recommendations: the deployment of energy-efficient LED lighting, the installation of motion sensors on fixtures, and the integration of heating systems into a BMS for optimized control. In January 2023, the HERBRICH Group implemented all the recommendations made by E’nergys, which supports it at every stage of its project, from relamping to smart control. This energy performance project was backed by a budget of 371,000 euros, after deduction of the EWC bonus, and was to be financed over 2 to 3 years.
By summer 2023, all the equipment had been deployed and parameterized by E’nergys. 800 fluorescent lamps were replaced by LED fixtures, equipped with motion sensors that control lighting intensity according to movement. The BMS, dedicated to heating and lighting control, was also installed and parameterized by E’nergys, for optimum control and precise analysis of energy consumption. In addition, E’nergys was responsible for training the HERBRICH Group’s key staff in BMS.
Numerous benefits, from energy savings to optimized comfort!
E’nergys distinguishes itself in the market with turnkey energy efficiency solutions for buildings, including connected BMS, relamping, and more—all financed through the energy savings generated. As proof of this, the HEBRICH Group is expected to save between €70,000 and €80,000 a year in energy consumption thanks to this project. Furthermore, in line with the principles of energy efficiency in its warehouses, the HERBRICH Group is committed to achieving the targets set by the Tertiary Sector Decree, aiming for a 40% reduction in energy consumption by 2030. Another significant benefit of this project is the new smart lighting system, which will provide operators with a more pleasant working environment by offering improved and more comfortable lighting conditions. In fact, each fixture is equipped with a smart sensor that guarantees the right lighting intensity at the right time and place, while optimizing energy performance. All data is automatically fed back to the BMS to study and analyze current and future usage. Antoine Herbrich emphasizes: “We have built a win/win relationship with E’nergys in energy efficiency, where proximity and transparent relations come first.”
This energy efficiency project is part of the HERBRICH Group’s global drive to decarbonize its business. With the support of ADEME (the French Environment and Energy Management Agency) and the Grand Est Region, it has become the first transport operator in Alsace to acquire and operate a 100% electric 44-ton truck on a daily basis for its client, Schmidt Kitchens. Additionally, with the assistance of a consultancy firm, it is working to optimize all its resources and waste in order to reduce its carbon footprint at every stage of its logistics and transport operations.
Antoine Herbrich concludes: “As resources are becoming increasingly scarce and companies’ carbon footprints are rising, our role as a carrier and logistics expert demands that we supply our customers with the right energy resources, aligned with their environmental commitments and CSR objectives, alongside our high-quality services. We need to integrate the energy component into our flows, processes and practices, and make it a differentiating asset of our logistics and transport business.”